Wednesday, April 30, 2014

At the Publik Draft House with my homies Eddie (middle) and Kwanza (right). (Photo by Elisa Graciaa)

Thanks toGeorgia General Assembly House Bill 99, City
Council Representative Kwanza Hall and Eddie Johnson of Publik Draft House who made
the upcoming homebrew contest— the Southern Craft Beer Competition—happen!

I recently attended Burnt Hickory Brewing’s second anniversary
celebration on Saturday, April 26, in Kennesaw, Georgia. I not only
had a blast sipping the liquid craftiness Owner and Brewmaster Scott Hedeen and
his team have quenched the South with for two years, but also enjoyed a section
they had featuring homebrewers pouring some of their prized liquid concoctions
for attendees to sample. Participants included my good friends Jon and Jeremiah Shari of Little
Cottage Brewing;Bob Southland and Bobzilla Brewing; Beer & Fire Home Brewery; and Hamp Covington with Mazurt
Beer. This was a wonderful addition to BHB’s throwdown and further
signified the importance of supporting the rights of homebrewers to gather in
public to pour, share, and now legally
compete thanks to the passing of the local ordinance in accordance of Georgia
General Assembly House Bill 99. Two good friends of mine— Atlanta City Councilmember Kwanza Hall and
Eddie Johnson ofPublik Draft House—were instrumental in making the upcoming Great Southern Craft Beer Competition (www.greatsouthernbeercompetition.com)
a reality. And the prize is no ribbon and handshake; the Best in Show winner takes
home $1,000 and distribution at Publik Draft House for one year! (More details
are on their website and below.)

Once I heard about the Bill’s passing, and the SCB competition—plus
the fact that there were two African Americans involved who further prove how
Atlanta’s beer scene has diversified—I had to have lunch with Councilman Hall
and Johnson at the Publik House to talk about what influenced this stellar tandem to make the competition happen.

While dressing his salad, Hall said about Atlanta’s City
Council, “We have done some very innovating things across the plain of food and
beverage within the last few years. Specifically with beverages, there is the Old Fourth Ward Distillery, which was
another piece of legislation that we also helped introduce. We haven’t had one
in 50 years.” Hall continued, “Now we are going into the homebrew arena and
this is another positive because now I might even brew my own beer! Plus, we
have a lot of creative and passionate folks in our city, and legislation like
this needs to help it unlock. Also, the homebrewing could lead to more jobs, people
starting their own businesses, and even a new industry in our city all because
we changed a little law and made it possible legally. That’s what I am excited
about. Things that are new and innovative which may change how things were
viewed in the past are what I am excited about.”

Photo by Elisa Graciaa.

And that’s why I have supported and befriended Hall since
his tenure. When it comes to keeping the city fresh, he gets it.

After giving a confident nod once his Publik’s succulent
wings were placed on the table, Johnson chimed in, “On the restaurant end,
people would come in and say they brew beer at home. I think we need to have a
connection with them. When I mentioned this to our public relations group [Trevelino/Keller],
they came up with the idea of having a competition and that is something that
involves the people who come into the Publik House.”

The location of the judging by some major players in the
Atlanta beer scene including Monday Night brewing and myself will be announced
soon. With this being the inaugural Great Southern Craft Beer Competition, the
gangster prizes for the winner, and the overall legalization of this
competition, this is a must for anyone serious about their homebrewing to
enter.

I hope this is just the first of many events highlighting
the mastery of homebrewers statewide and beyond!

Information on the Great Southern Craft Beer
Competition

The Great Southern
Craft Beer Competition entry period begins April 1 and runs through June 1,
2014. Contestants must pay a $10 fee per
beer entry and may submit up to three entries.
Each entry includes six bottles of the specialty home brew and must be
delivered to Publik Draft House at 654
Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30308 by June 1. Entries are only eligible
when accompanied by the entry form and competition labels found on the website www.greatsouthernbeercompetition.com.

About Me

Originally from New York and a Cornell University alumnus, I'm anentrepreneur, award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and beer expert who has worked with various publications and websites for the past 15 years, including FirstWeFeast.com, Ebony, Jezebel, Upscale, JET, Men's Book, WHERE Magazine and Atlanta Eats TV to name a few. I also specialize in celebrity profiles, lifestyle features, travel destinations, automobiles, dining, product reviews, sports, and numerous other topics. On the beer side, there's this cool site, my own beer show on the Web—Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’—beer events I host, judge various beer contests, and produce art productions throughout Atlanta via my creative agency AllWays Open Creative.